French American School of Puget Sound

The French American School of Puget Sound on Mercer Island (just east of Seattle) offers bilingual education from age 3 through grade 8 (4ème).

FASPS is a thriving international community of over 400 students representing 50+ nationalities. Accredited by the French Ministry of Education and the National Association of Independent Schools, students work, play, and learn on our Mercer Island campus and on local, domestic, and international trips. FASPS has a robust extended day program, including after-school enrichment courses for students, an inclusive athletics program, and French courses for adults and alumni.

In 1995 a small group of educators and Francophiles had a vision: to establish a French American school in the Pacific Northwest.
That fall, the French American School of Puget Sound (FASPS) opened its doors with two teachers and 13 students in the basement of a church in Newcastle. One year later, with already more than double the number of students, FASPS moved to another church property in Newport Hills. But with continuous growth over the next several years, the founders knew a larger space would be necessary soon.

In 1999, 146 students moved to Mercer Island, taking over the old fire station in its current location just north of the Stroum Jewish Community Center (SJCC). Once student enrollment surpassed 200, FASPS began to think bigger. FASPS quickly and successfully conducted a capital campaign in 2003 towards the design and construction of a one-story building, completed in September 2004.

2008 saw the doubling in size of the school, and after a second capital campaign, another floor was added to the current structure. . With close to 300 students, the second floor allowed for additional classrooms and the launching of the much anticipated Middle School Program with its first grade 6 class. In 2011, the dream of having a middle school was fully realized with the first graduating class.